v2.4.0.6
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

12. EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS

The Company has a defined benefit pension plan covering substantially all employees, as well as an unfunded supplemental pension plan for key executives. Retirement benefits are provided based on employees’ years of credited service and average earnings or stated amounts for years of service. Normal retirement age is 65 with provisions for earlier retirement. The plan also has provisions for disability and death benefits. The plan closed to new participants as of August 1, 2011. The Company’s funding policy for the defined benefit pension plan is to make contributions to the plan such that all employees’ benefits will be fully provided by the time they retire. Plan assets are stated at market value and consist primarily of equity securities and fixed income securities, mainly U.S. government and corporate obligations.
The Company follows ASC 715, Compensation — Retirement Benefits (“ASC 715”) which requires employers to recognize the funded status of defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans as an asset or liability in their statements of financial position and to recognize changes in the funded status in the year in which the changes occur as a component of comprehensive income. In addition, ASC 715 requires employers to measure the funded status of their plans as of the date of their year-end statements of financial position. ASC 715 also requires additional disclosures regarding amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive loss.
The Company’s pension plan’s weighted average asset allocation at December 31, 2013 and 2012, by asset category, was as follows:
 
 
 
 
Plan Assets at December 31,
  
 
2013
 
2012
Asset Category:
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
Equity Securities
 
 
56%
 
 
 
52
Fixed Income Securities
 
 
35%
 
 
 
40
Other
 
 
9%
 
 
 
8
Total
 
 
100%
 
 
 
100
The Company has a Retirement Plan Committee, consisting of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to manage the operations and administration of all benefit plans and related trusts. The committee has an investment policy for the pension plan assets that establishes target asset allocation ranges for the above listed asset classes as follows: equity securities: 20% – 80%; fixed income securities: 20% – 80%; and other, principally cash: 0% – 20%. On a semi-annual basis, the committee reviews progress towards achieving the pension plan’s performance objectives.
To develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption, the Company considered the historical returns and the future expectations for returns for each asset class, as well as the target asset allocation of the pension portfolio. This resulted in the selection of the 7.75% long-term rate of return on assets assumption.
Assumptions used in determining the funded status at December 31, 2013 and 2012 were:
 
 
 
 
2013
 
2012
Discount rate
 
 
5.03%
 
 
 
4.23
Rate of compensation increase
 
 
4.50%
 
 
 
4.50
The following is a reconciliation of the change in benefit obligation and plan assets of both the defined benefit pension plan and the unfunded supplemental pension plan for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Defined Benefit
Pension Plan
 
Supplemental
Pension Plan
  
 
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
  
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Change in projected benefit obligation
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year
 
$
43,452
 
 
$
39,523
 
 
$
12,270
 
 
$
13,870
 
Service cost
 
 
1,406
 
 
 
1,236
 
 
 
320
 
 
 
236
 
Interest cost
 
 
1,832
 
 
 
1,800
 
 
 
570
 
 
 
516
 
Plan amendments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1,415
Actuarial (gain) loss
 
 
(3,466)
 
 
 
2,532
 
 
 
(468)
 
 
 
(576
Benefits paid
 
 
(1,754)
 
 
 
(1,639
 
 
(355)
 
 
 
(361
Projected benefit obligation, end
of year
 
$
41,470
 
 
$
43,452
 
 
$
12,337
 
 
$
12,270
 
Change in plan assets
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year
 
 
27,819
 
 
 
26,655
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Actual return on plan assets
 
 
4,316
 
 
 
2,932
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Administrative expenses
 
 
(141)
 
 
 
(129
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contributions
 
 
1,282
 
 
 
 
 
 
355
 
 
 
361
 
Benefits paid
 
 
(1,754)
 
 
 
(1,639
 
 
(355)
 
 
 
(361
Fair value of plan assets, end of year
 
$
31,522
 
 
$
27,819
 
 
$
 
 
$
 
Funded status of plan
 
$
(9,948)
 
 
$
(15,633
 
$
(12,337)
 
 
$
(12,270
Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets consist of:
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
Accrued liabilities – other
 
$
 
 
$
 
 
$
(384)
 
 
$
(373
Long-term pension liability
 
 
(9,948)
 
 
 
(15,633
 
 
(11,953)
 
 
 
(11,897
Net amount recognized
 
$
(9,948)
 
 
$
(15,633
 
$
(12,337)
 
 
$
(12,270
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss consist of:
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
Accumulated loss, net of income tax benefit of $4,054, $6,735, $1,729 and $2,102, respectively
 
$
6,341
 
 
$
10,534
 
 
$
2,705
 
 
$
3,288
 
Prior service cost (credit), net of income tax benefit (liability) of $1, $1, ($358) and ($402), respectively
 
 
1
 
 
 
1
 
 
 
(559)
 
 
 
(628
Net amount recognized
 
$
6,342
 
 
$
10,535
 
 
$
2,146
 
 
$
2,660
 
The actuarial gain recognized in 2013 resulted from an increase in the discount rate that was used to determine the funded status of the plan. The accumulated benefit obligation for the defined benefit pension plan and the supplemental pension plan was $36.3 million and $11.3 million, respectively, at December 31, 2013 and $38.2 million and $11.6 million, respectively, at December 31, 2012.
Assumptions used in determining net periodic pension cost for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 were:
 
 
 
 
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
Discount rate
 
 
4.23%
 
 
 
4.60
 
 
5.40
Rate of compensation increase
 
 
4.50%
 
 
 
4.50
 
 
4.50
Long-term rate of return on plan assets
 
 
7.75%
 
 
 
7.75
 
 
8.00
The components of net periodic pension cost for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, were:
 
 
 
 
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
  
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Benefits earned during the period
 
$
1,726
 
 
$
1,472
 
 
$
1,212
 
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation
 
 
2,403
 
 
 
2,317
 
 
 
2,373
 
Expected return on plan assets
 
 
(2,094)
 
 
 
(1,994
 
 
(2,021
Net amortization and deferral
 
 
1,702
 
 
 
1,612
 
 
 
1,272
 
Net pension expense
 
$
3,737
 
 
$
3,407
 
 
$
2,836
 
The Company expects to recognize expense of $901,000 due to the amortization of unrecognized loss and income of ($112,000) due to the amortization of prior service cost as components of net periodic benefit cost in 2014, which are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2013.
It is the Company’s intention to satisfy the minimum funding requirements and maintain at least an 80% funding percentage in its defined benefit retirement plan in future years. At this time, the level of cash contribution that will be required in 2014 to maintain the minimum funding balance is unknown.
Projected benefit payments for the plans as of December 31, 2013 were estimated as follows:
 
 
 
 
Defined Benefit Pension Plan
 
Supplemental Pension
Plan
  
 
(Dollars in thousands)
2014
 
$
1,927
 
 
$
384
 
2015
 
$
1,993
 
 
$
394
 
2016
 
$
2,098
 
 
$
421
 
2017
 
$
2,174
 
 
$
430
 
2018
 
$
2,277
 
 
$
454
 
2019 – 2023
 
$
12,855
 
 
$
2,941
 
The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s pension plan assets as of December 31, 2013 by asset category within the fair value hierarchy (for further level information, see Note 4):
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2013
  
 
Quoted Prices in
Active
Markets
 
Significant
Observable
Inputs
 
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
 
  
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
  
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Common stocks
 
$
13,339
 
 
$
1,470
 
 
$
 
 
$
14,809
 
Preferred stocks
 
 
786
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
786
 
Exchange traded funds
 
 
2,761
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2,761
 
Corporate obligations
 
 
 
 
 
4,636
 
 
 
 
 
 
4,636
 
State and municipal obligations
 
 
 
 
 
538
 
 
 
 
 
 
538
 
Pooled fixed income funds
 
 
4,150
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4,150
 
U.S. government securities
 
 
 
 
 
838
 
 
 
 
 
 
838
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
 
2,927
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2,927
 
Subtotal
 
 
23,963
 
 
 
7,482
 
 
 
 
 
 
31,445
 
Other assets(1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
77
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
31,522
 
 
(1)
This category represents trust receivables that are not leveled.
The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s pension plan assets as of December 31, 2012 by asset category within the fair value hierarchy (for further level information, see Note 4):
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2012
  
 
Quoted Prices in Active Markets
 
Significant Observable Inputs
 
Significant Unobservable Inputs
  
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
  
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Common stocks
 
$
10,169
 
 
$
1,118
 
 
$
 
 
$
11,287
 
Preferred stocks
 
 
1,038
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1,038
 
Exchange traded funds
 
 
3,194
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3,194
 
Corporate obligations
 
 
 
 
 
4,573
 
 
 
 
 
 
4,573
 
State and municipal obligations
 
 
 
 
 
574
 
 
 
 
 
 
574
 
Foreign obligations
 
 
 
 
 
16
 
 
 
 
 
 
16
 
Pooled fixed income funds
 
 
3,212
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3,212
 
U.S. government securities
 
 
 
 
 
1,584
 
 
 
 
 
 
1,584
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
 
2,264
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2,264
 
Subtotal
 
 
19,877
 
 
 
7,865
 
 
 
 
 
 
27,742
 
Other assets(1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
77
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
27,819
 
 
(1)
This category represents trust receivables that are not leveled.
The Company also has a defined contribution plan covering substantially all employees. The Company contributed approximately $227,000, $221,000 and $212,000 in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.